1731 research outputs found
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Equivalent Viscous Damping and Inelastic Displacement for Strengthened and Reinforced Masonry Walls
No full textThe masonry still one of the widespread construction system for low-rise residential buildings even for countries prone to seismic risk. Despite seismic design methods yet in use are force-based, in the last decades was highlighted as the differences in strength between two levels of damage is low, and therefore as the damage is better correlated to the displacement. Also, in recent years, has arose a widespread expectation for being able to control the damage based on the probability of occurrence of an earthquake or being able to base the design on different performance levels ("performance-based design").
In this context, considerable interest is growing regarding the application of these methods to the design of masonry structures. Many questions are still open and need to be studied more in detail. From the experimental results obtained by cyclic shear-compression tests on different types of masonry panels, an analytical model has been developed, that allows to reproduce the in-plane behavior of both the tested types: one is modern reinforced masonry and the other is traditional multi-leaf stone masonry. The developed model has been used to perform a wide number of dynamic analysis with the aim of studying the inelastic characteristics of the described types of masonry. The results of the analysis made it possible to define simple and reliable formulations for the application of displacement-based method to masonry structures. Finally, we studied the dynamic behavior of a large structure, through the finite element analysis, using a damage model that has been shown to be able to reproduce the response obtained from shaking table tests. This phase has the aims of validate the results obtained for stone masonry walls, and giving useful indication for the application of displacement-based method on multi-degree of freedom structures
STaRS.sys: designing and building a commonsense-knowledge enriched wordnet for therapeutic purposes
No full textThis thesis investigates the possibility to exploit human language resources and knowledge extraction techniques to build STaRS.sys, a software system designed to support therapists in the rehabilitation of Italian anomic patients.
After an introductory section reviewing classification, assessment, and remediation methods for naming disorders, we analyze the current trends in the exploitation of computers for the rehabilitation of language disorders. Starting from an analysis of the needs of speech therapists in their daily work with aphasic patients, the requirements for the STaRS.sys application are defined, and a number of possible uses identified.
To be able to implement these functionalities, STaRS.sys needs to be based on a lexical knowledge base encoding, in a explicit and computationally tractable way, at least the kind of semantic knowledge contained in the so called feature norms. As a backbone for the development of this semantic resource we chose to exploit the Italian MultiWordNet lexicon derived from the original Princeton WordNet. We show that the WordNet model is relatively well suited for our needs, but that an extension of its semantic model is nevertheless needed.
Starting from the assumption that the kinds composing the feature types classifications exploited for encoding feature norms can be mapped onto semantic relations in a WordNet-like semantic network, we identified a set of 25 semantic relations that can cover all the information contained in these datasets.
To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal, we first asked to a group of therapists to use our feature types classification for classifying a set of 300 features. The analysis of the inter-coder agreement shows that the proposed classification can be used in a reliable way by speech therapists.
Subsequently, we collected a new set of Italian feature norms for 50 concrete concepts and analyze the issues raised by the attempt to encode them into a version of MultiWordNet extended to include the new set of relations. This analysis shows that, in addition to extending the relation set, a number of further modifications are needed, for instance to be able to encode negation, quantifications or the strength of a relation. Information that, we will show, isn't well represented in the existing feature norms either.
After defining an extended version of MultiWordNet (sMWN), suitable to encode the information contained in feature norms, we deal with the issue of automatic extraction of such semantic information from corpora. We applied to an Italian a corpus state of the art machine-learning-based method for the extraction of common-sense conceptual knowledge from corpora, previously applied to English. We tried a number of modifications and extensions of the original algorithm, with the aim of improving its accuracy. Results and limitations are presented and analyzed, and possible future improvement discussed
The smell of altruism: Incidental pleasant odors and chemosignal as prosocial decisions moderators
No full textThe study of the interactions between olfaction and the decision making processes has mainly focused on the investigation of what is considered the most useful odor to disperse in the air to drive the consumers' choices to prefer a product rather than another one. Despite the fact that some studies showed the existence of associations between odors and prosocial behavior, much less data are available on the links between olfaction and donation in favor of public goods. Thus, the main purpose of the series of experiments described in this thesis is precisely that to shed some light on the investigation of the nature of pleasant odor-decision and on the chemosignal-decision associations.
In order to achieve this, the presence of an odor and the congruence between odor and decision task has been manipulated, and the decision to donate has been tested in different domains.
Therefore, in the first series of experiments, we manipulated the presence of an ambient pleasant odor, expecting that the congruent stimuli sharing the more stable association odor-concept, would have resulted in an overall increase in the WTC (willingness to contribute) and WTP (willingness to pay) in the decision to donate in favor of a public good. The results confirmed the existence of an association between the olfactory stimulus congruence and the amount donated in favor of a public good. Interestingly, this effect is confirmed in both hypothetical and real decision settings. Moreover, the stimulus modality was manipulated presenting congruent olfactory or visual stimuli. Our findings confirmed the preferential link between olfaction and cognitive processes and showed higher donations in the olfactory setting (compared to the visual one).
The existence of associations between odors and words are examined to know if the odors could semantically drive cognitive processes different from decision making. The results confirmed the existence of an association between the olfactory stimulus pleasantness and the performance in a lexical decision task (LDT). Thus, this effect is mediated by the presence of a pleasant odor and not by the semantic congruence between odor and the presented words. Moreover, the visual modality tend to worsen the LDT performance even if the visual stimulus was semantically congruent with the word presented.
Finally, even though the semantic link appears to be crucial for cognitive processes such as decision, it seems not so important for memory and linguistic processes involved in the LDT.
The second series of studies involved the presence of chemosignal, expecting that the congruity between stimulus and decision (the chemosignal used is AND, known as the best candidate to be considered a human chemosignal) would have resulted in an overall increase in amount of money donate to unknown persons during Dictator and Trust Game. The results confirmed the existence of an association between the chemosignal stimulus presence (and its olfactory experience) and the amount donated, and a mediation effect due to the positive mood (in presence of AND) especially in females and with high AND concentration
Knowledge Dissemination in the Web Era
No full textIn this research work we address the limitations of the current scientic knowledge dissemination model to face the new scenario posed by the Web.
We explore the historical reasons behind the current model, and we show that it is essentially the same today, even if the Web has made dissemination nearly real time and free. We show how this misalignment between the current model and Web capabilities brings not only missed opportunities but also a serious overload problem, creating diculties for authors to gain visibility, and for readers to nd interesting content. Our approach has been to build from the ground up, by i) understanding how the very core concepts of the scientic publishing such as "scientic contribution", "scientic journal" and even "reputation" should adapt to the new scenario; ii) studying the dissemination and sharing practices that are inherently present in the scientic community, to understand how technology can empower those practices to reduce information overload. The outcome is novel models, tools and a platform for knowledge dissemination that takes full advantage of the Web while addressing the overload problem
Remote Sensing Analysis e Archeologia dei Paesaggi nel Trentino orientale: la Valsugana, la Val di Cembra e l'Altopiano di Pinè tra l'epoca tardo antica e il medioevo
No full textLo studio ha affrontato l'analisi dei paesaggi archeologici di un'ampia porzione del Trentino orientale (Valsugana, Val di Cembra e Altopiano di Pinè) a partire dall'utilizzo sistematico ed integrato di diverse fonti telerilevate (fotoaerea verticale, ortofoto digitali, Lidar). A fronte di un panorama archeologico pregresso piuttosto sottorappresentato, costituito in modo preponderante da dati di vecchia acquisizione e dalla quasi sistematica assenza dell'indagine stratigrafica, la remote sensing analysis ha portato al censimento di quasi mille contesti di interesse, la maggior parte dei quali costituiti da tracce di evidente natura antropica. Tuttavia, le pessime condizioni di visibilità superficiale non hanno in molti casi consentito la contestualizzazione cronologica delle evidenze riconosciute, sottolineando la necessità di predisporre strategie di indagine più invasive (scavi archeologici, shovel test pits, pulizia di sezioni esposte). A partire da questi risultati, l’analisi si è focalizzata sullo studio dei sistemi agrari della porzione centrale della Valsugana, dove, attraverso l’utilizzo delle fonti scritte, dei dati materiali, della toponomastica, della cartografia storica, è stata proposta una lettura diacronica che ricostruisce l’evoluzione dei parcellari dall’alto medioevo fino ai giorni nostri. I risultati di questa ricerca sono stati utilizzati per ridiscutere alcune tematiche storiografiche particolarmente significative per l’area di ricerca: lo sfruttamento agricolo di epoca romana e tardo antica, l’insediamento dei Longobardi, il ruolo dei cambiamenti climatici e dell’evoluzione ambientale, la definizione dei nuovi assetti politico-amministrativi in epoca pieno medievale (XI sec.). Particolare attenzione è stata infine assegnata ai castelli e alle ripercussioni sul paesaggio che produsse la diffusione sul territorio di questi nuovi centri di potere, in relazione soprattutto allo sfruttamento delle risorse ambientali (aree di coltivo, pascoli, miniere) tra XI e XIV secolo
Uomini e no: un'analisi narrativa della costruzione dell'identità di genere nella organizzazione sindacale
Get PDFLa mia tesi affronta il tema della costruzione dell'identità di genere all'interno di un contesto organizzativo a tradizionale dominanza maschile quale il sindacato. Il frame teorico di riferimento è quello degli studi organizzativi, in particolare i contributi che hanno guardato al genere come pratica materiale, sociale e discorsiva, così come al costrutto di maschilità egemone.
La ricerca si basa sull'analisi narrativa dei materiali documentali e dei testi d'intervista a uomini e donne membri di una particolare organizzazione sindacale. Dall'analisi emerge il cambiamento in corso nella pratica sindacale , dalla centralità della fabbrica alle nuove identità lavorative, con le relative implicazioni di genere. L'analisi si concentra sul dibattito interno all'organizzazione sui temi delle quote e dell'equilibrio tra dimensione pubblica e privata, mettendo in evidenza le possibilità di mantenere o sfidare il modello di maschilità egemone nell'organizzazione
Il capitale sociale come risorsa integrativa di una società locale
No full textLa ricerca si è occupata dei legami di solidarietà spontanea che si creano a partire dalle azioni volontarie messe in atto in una comunità territoriale. L’insieme di questi legami è stato considerato una risorsa sociale che ha la natura di bene pubblico ed che è in grado di favorire il benessere sociale di una società locale. Questa risorsa è stata concettualizzata attraverso la nozione di “capitale sociale solidale” e di essa si è tentato di comprenderne: 1) le specificità; 2) il suo processo di microfondazione; e infine 3) le sue implicazioni teoriche per una teoria dell’integrazione sociale. Il primo obiettivo è stato raggiunto mappando le azioni volontarie messe in atto nelle provincie di Trento e di Treviso. La mappa ha mostrato un quadro eterogeneo e diffuso di 119 azioni realizzate dalle principali categorie di attori della società locale. Per analizzare il processo di generazione di questa risorsa, le ragioni dei promotori sono state identificate grazie a 23 interviste biografiche. I risultati di queste interviste mostrano una pluralità di motivazioni che sostengono queste azioni e i limiti esplicativi della teoria della scelta razionale. Per quanto riguarda il terzo obiettivo, la riflessione ha cercato di chiarire la natura di bene pubblico del capitale sociale e l'utilità della nozione di capitale sociale solidale per i dibattiti sulla società civile e sulla coesione sociale. Da questo punto di vista, la ricerca ha messo in luce da una parte il contributo del capitale sociale solidale nella valorizzazione del legame sociale e, dall'altra, l'utilità della nozione nelle analisi della tradizione associativa interna al dibattito sulla società civile e nei modelli individualisti di tipo comunitario della coesione sociale. Infine, a partire dai risultati conseguiti vengono indicati tre percorsi di ricerca futuri da realizzarsi sia nel Nordest e sia nella regione francese Pays de la Loire
Le immagini sul risvolto interno degli occhi: storia dell'arte e neuroscienze
No full textLa Neurostetica, settore di studi da poco costituitosi, raccoglie una serie di indagini provenienti dall’ambito neuroscientifico volti ad indagare le modalità della creazione e fruizione dell’oggetto artistico. Molteplici discipline concorrono alla costruzione di un’ attività di ricerca relativa al rapporto mente e cervello che è davvero agli albori, non per qualità degli studi, ma per complessità della materia trattata. Tra queste discipline la Storia dell’arte è fondamentalmente oggetto e quasi mai soggetto della ricerca o del lavoro di équipe. Si tratta dunque in queste pagine di osservare l’interesse degli scienziati per la Storia dell’arte e di trarne spunti di lavoro e osservazione critica per valutare un’entrata in campo più diretta in ricerche assai affascinanti, se pur a volte scivolose. Il campo dell'educazione, nello specifico della Didattica della Storia dell'arte, è che quello che meglio si presta ad assorbire le novità scientifiche
A Smart Solution for Tissue Engineering Applications
No full textGelatine, which is produced by collagen partial hydrolysis, has been largely used in the biomedical field for a wide variety of applications, which are ranging from drug delivery to wound healing. Its spread depends strongly on its biocompatibility: this natural polymer is indeed non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-immunogenic, enzymatically degradable and bioresorbable. In the biomedical field gelatine is mostly used as highly concentrated hydrogel (with a melting point above 43 °C - 45 °C) or cross-linked.
This work investigated the use of uncross-linked gelatine hydrogels, with a melting temperature in the physiological range, for different biomedical applications.
Firstly, it was studied the possibility to produce a solid hydrogel to use as easily removable wound dressing. Once applied to a wound, this patch keeps a moist environment in order to improve the regeneration, while releasing drugs or bioactive factors that it could be preloaded of. Moreover, it can be easily removed, without damages to the wound site and the newly formed tissue, by washing with warm sterile water (37 °C - 39 °C).
Secondly, the gelatine material was investigated as substrate for the so-named cell sheet engineering. With our procedure cell sheets can be grown on the gelatine gel and, successively, they can be integrally transferred to a different surface, with gelatine being removed by melting at 37 °C, without any proteolytic enzyme. The gelatine sheet supporting cells, differently from the “Okano” cell sheet method, could be also directly implanted in-vivo without any need for removal, due to the gentle melting of the gelatine sheet after implantation.
Thirdly, gelatine gels were used as depot to release pro-angiogenic factors in-vivo. Due to their ability to absorb aqueous solutions and release them while dissolving / degrading, gelatine gels were loaded with Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Conditioned Medium and used to evaluate the effect of grow factors in a model of ischemic fasciocutaneous flap.
Additionally, in order to evaluate the in-vivo degradation rate of gelatine gels loaded with Platelet Rich Plasma, a preliminary test was performed. The results of this test suggested the possibility to employ the gel films as antiadhesive membranes in surgery
Parametric Real-Time System Feasibility Analysis Using Parametric Timed Automata
No full textReal-time applications are playing an increasingly significant role in our life. The cost and risk involved
in their design leads to the need for a correct and robust modelling of the system before its deployment.
Many approaches have been proposed to verify the schedulability of real-time task system. A frequent
limitation is that they force the task activation to restrictive patterns (e.g. periodic). Furthermore, the
type of analysis carried out by the real-time scheduling theory relies on restrictive assumptions that
could make the designers miss important optimization opportunities. On the other hand, the application
of formal methods for verification of timed systems typically produces a yes/no answer that does not
suggest any correction action or robustness margins of a given design.
This work proposes an approach to combine the benefits of formal method in terms of flexibility with
the production of a clear feedback for the designers. The key idea is to use parametric timed automata
to enable the definition of flexible task activation patterns. The Parametric Verification of Temporal
Properties (PTVP) algorithm proposed in this work produces a region of feasible parameters for realtime
system. All the parameter valuation within this region is guaranteed to make the system respect
the desired temporal behaviour. In this way developers are provided with a richer information than the
simple feasibility of a given design choice.
This method uses symbolic model checking technique to produce the result that is a union of polyhedral
regions in the parameter space associated with feasible parameters. It is implemented in the tool
Quinq that is based on NuSMV3. The tool also implemented an optimization to speed up the search,
such as using non-parametric model checker to find counterexamples (i.e. traces) related to the unfeasible
choices of parameters.
Two applications of the tool and of the underlying method to several real-time system examples are
presented in this dissertation : periodic real-time system tasks with offset and heterogeneous distributed
real-time systems. A work that applies the tool in collaboration with another real-time system analysis
tool, Modular Performance Analysis Toolbox, is also presented to show one of the many possible
application of the method presented in this work.
In this work we also compare our approach to the state of the art in the field of sensitivity analysis
of real-time systems. However, compared to the other tools and approaches in this field, the method
offered in this work presents unique advantages in the generality of the system modelling approach and
the possibility to analyse the entire region of feasibility of any desired parameter in the system